Your choice of race in Neverwinter is entire up to you and what you are looking for. All classes in the game provide unique bonuses, all of which are good in their own ways.

Human – Always a solid pick for any class, the Human has the unique advantage of getting 3 additional feat points above every other race. These are not a huge advantage however the bonuses can be very valuable in certain situations. They are also able to put their racial points into whichever stat they would like, being another unique bonus specific to the Humans. Another undervalued bonus that the Humans do receive is an additional 3% defense, which is not a huge bonus. But certainly is better than nothing.

Half-Elf – The Half-Elf race provides a Devoted Cleric with bonus stats that suit it’s specialization perfectly. Being able to choose between a starting +2 Charisma or Wisdom is a great benefit to our class is both of these stats are extremely important to being successful. Dilettante is also a nice little +1 stat boost even if it is to a random stat and while very minimal, the Knack for Success bonus also has its use.

Wood Elf – The stat bonuses for the wood elf are not as ideal as some of the other classes because it is a static Dexterity over Constitution (at least in my opinion). However it does still provide an option bonus in Wisdom which is good. The 1% critical strike percentage bonus is also a nice little boost, but it is not really noticeable for the most part. Wood elf is almost identical to the Half-Elf however the Half-Elf gets the bonus +1 to a random stat (usually Intelligence for Devoted Cleric) and it receives Constitution instead of the Wood Elf’s Dexterity.

Drow – The Drow race is very similar to the Wood Elf race however it also provides you with the option to select Charisma off the stat, which is a nice option depending on what type of Devoted Cleric you plan on building. The Drow also have a very nice passive that allows them to potentially reduce enemies Power and Defense by 6% whenever attacking, which is a nice little debuff, particularly for boss fights, or tough adds.

Dwarf – As far as stat bonuses go, the Dwarf actually does come with a very nice setup for a Devoted Cleric. I wouldn’t however recommend Dwarf, at least not right now. Dwarf is currently bugged for most of it’s passives so beyond the decent starting stats, this wouldn’t be a race I would currently recommend, but perhaps in the future would be a lot more viable.

Halfling – The Halfling race is a very sold race in Neverwinter. It provides you with nice passive bonuses, but the stats that are provided aren’t exactly ideal for a Devoted Cleric. This would probably be one of the last picks I would go for if choosing a race for a Devoted Cleric. But again, the class you choose is entirely up to you.

Half-Orc – Not an ideal setup for a Devoted Cleric, but could be viable for certain builds specializing in Strength. I personally would never make a Half-Orc Devoted Cleric but that’s not to say that they aren’t a decent race to build. A Strength-based Devoted Cleric would certainly benefit from the passive +2 that is provided by a Half-Orc, not to mention the passive 5% increase to Critical Severity.

Tiefling – Again, does not provide you with a bonus to Wisdom off the start, however you can choose between a Constitution and Intelligence start combined with the standard +2 to Charisma. The base stats of a Tiefling are not ideal for a Devoted Cleric however the passive bonuses are a very nice addition to any build. Bonus damage on targets below 50% can provide you with a slight increase in damage output as well as selective healing output with certain skills, and the chance to lower attackers power on hit is very useful in a class that doesn’t want to be overwhelmed with aggression.

Having gone through what I see as the benefits of each race, I would just like to say that my recommendations for races on the Devoted Cleric would mostly lean towards either a Human, or Half-Elf. They provide the most standardly ideal benefits for the Devoted Cleric class.

Ability Scores:

There are three main focuses as a Devoted Cleric when it comes to ability scores. These are Strength, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each of the three provide you with certain benefits, all of which will benefit you in their own ways. Wisdom provides us with our flat damage as well as flat healing, so it is of course our main ability. Without flat damage, you aren’t gonna to be doing very much so this is pretty much a necessity. Strength is the second main ability for a Devoted Cleric and in all honesty, is probably the best ability to focus. It provides you with critical chance as well as stamina regeneration, which are both important to the Devoted Cleric class. The last of the three main abilities is Charisma. Charisma used to be a lot more important than it is now, however this is still a very good stat to focus providing you with recharge rate as well as action points.

When starting your Devoted Cleric character creation, I would stick your main stats to a focus of Wisdom and Strength with slightly lower focus in Charisma. The build that I specifically started with was: 16 Strength, 12 Constitution, 10 Dexterity, 10 Intelligence, 18 Wisdom, and 12 Charisma. With points in Strength as well as Charisma throughout the levelling bonuses. (It is all a matter of opinion now, whether or not you choose to go for Charisma or Wisdom on levelling, due to the nerfs to select Devoted Cleric powers.)

In all honesty, because of the limitations of starting stats for each class, it doesn’t matter too much what you choose to start with.

Powers:

Powers are difficult to pin down because they largely rely on your specific play style and what you want to get out of the class. That being said there are specific powers that provide you with specific effects that you wouldn’t want to live without. I will include below my evaluation of the particular powers and what I personally think of them and their uses. The ratings will be between 1-5.

At-wills –

Lance of Faith [2/5] – This is the first ability you gain as a Devoted Cleric. It does a fairly low amount of damage but it is still able to easily take out early level mobs. It offers very little else and is certainly not a skill I would keep all game long.

Astral Seal [4/5] – I personally really enjoy this ability. I always have it set up on my left-click as it provides you with a decent amount of heal per hit and can add up to quite a decent amount of sustain for a party as well as by yourself. [Recommended]

Sacred Flame [3/5] – A very nice little ability, not the one I choose for my second at-will but provides a nice amount of utility in the form of temporary HP to all allies near your target on the third hit.

Brand of the Sun [4/5] – I love this ability, especially in combination with Astral Seal. It provides you with a decent amount of damage over time on your targeted enemy as well as builds Divine Power extremely quickly. When buffed through feats also provides affected enemy with a debuff of 5% of their damage output as well as their critical chance. [Recommended]

Encounters –

Sun Burst [5/5] – This is quite simply one of the best abilities you have. I say this for a number of reasons. It provides you with an ale burst of damage that is instantly cast, and also heals allies around you for a decent amount. It also has a good ranged knock back when booster with your Divine Power which comes in very handy later on in the game. (If anyone has ran epics before, you know what I’m talking about.)[Recommended]

Healing Word [3/5] – A nice little heal over time. It adds up quite slowly when not critically struck however, it is great for keeping the tank sustained over a long boss fight. It can also be used as a direct heal if boosted, but the heal is quite minimal and I wouldn’t rely on just that in a tough situation. This ability has the added bonuses of stacking up to three times. Each stack can be used to build a large amount of Action Points as well as Divine Power (when set up with Divine Fortune).

Daunting Light [5/5] – This ability quite honestly makes you wonder whether you are playing a healer or a DPS class. The damage on this ability is huge with a fairly small cool down. The only drawback is that the radius of the ability is extremely small and it’s slightly delayed. If boosted however, it has a fairly large radius and becomes instant making it an excellent area of effective burst. Particularly effective when trying to control adds. When buffed, also reduces enemies defences 10%, which can be a nice little boost to the damage they take. [Recommended]

Forgemaster’s Flame [5/5] – A great damage over time ability that does a large amount of damage and when booster also heals in a large radius any allies near the target. I absolutely love this ability for bosses and large mobs. [Recommended]

Bastion of Health [2/5] – Pretty much worthless unless boosted and the heal isn’t that much better than Sun Burst. In all honesty, I probably would never include this in my builds, but it is a good clutch heal in sticky situations. Don’t put this in any build that needs a lot of Divine Power because you won’t be able to maintain it.

Astral Shield [5/5] – The best ability you have by far. It reduces damage taken, and heals allies when boosted. This ability has been nerfed a few times but it is still incredibly good. This should almost always be on cooldown and should be cast on your DPS as well as your tank if possible. There is no build you should ever make that wouldn’t include this ability. [Recommended/Required]

Daily Powers –

Guardian of Faith [1/5] – Not much needs to be said, I wouldn’t get this ability over any of the other dailies. It’s just nowhere near as good as any of them.

Flame Strike [5/5] – Particularly for levelling, this ability is amazing. As a Devoted Cleric, you will be bathing in Action Points. They stack up almost as quickly as you use the abilities. This ability provides you with a nice knock up and a huge burst of damage in a large radius. While levelling, I typically had this up every 2-3 fights. Until you get Hammer of Fate, this is the best option for you. [Recommended early]

Hallowed Ground [5/5] – This is probably the most useful daily you will gain access to, at least in my opinion. It provides you with a incredibly large radius buff to both damage and damage reduction. It also can be buffed even more later on with feats to provide you with an extra 5% maximum HP heal every 3 seconds. [Recommended]

Divine Armor [3/5] – Very similar to Hallowed Ground however it provides you with a fairly large amount of temporary HP instead of a large damage boost. It does not however have an option to be upgraded for healing, so if specialized, Hallowed Ground will always be a better option.

Hammer of Fate [5/5] – This is the hardest hitting ability that a Devoted Cleric has. It does a large amount of damage over 3 hits (each that critically strikes individually) and it ends with a small knock back. Dominating in Player-vs-Player however it is still a very effective ability if you are just trying to get some damage out onto a boss or a large add. [Recommended/Secondary]

Passives –

Healer’s Lore [3/5] – This is pretty straight forward, you are a healer, this boosts your heals. It’s a good option for a dedicated healer, but for a more hybrid or damage based Devoted Cleric I wouldn’t recommend it.

Divine Fortune [3/5] – This would be a second power I would choose when working as a dedicated healer. It provides you with a decent build of Divine Power when healing allies. Works extremely well with Healing Word to build lots of Divine Power extremely quickly.

Sooth [1/5] – To be honest, I never really have too many aggression problems, and there are certain situations that you actually do want to be able to maintain at least a moderate amount of aggression. This just doesn’t appeal to me and seems to be something you shouldn’t need if your party is doing their jobs. Particularly after the last nerf to Devoted Cleric aggression, this should almost never be required.

Holy Fervor [4/5] – Absolutely love this power for levelling. As you would have saw in my dailies list, with this power I was typically able to maintain a daily every 2-3 fights which is pretty great, especially when you are trying to clear quickly or to level quickly. [Recommended early]

Foresight [5/5] – Best passive you get. It’s impossible to go wrong with damage reduction and this provides not only damage reduction to you, but also to those that are healed by you. This can also be boosted with feats to a total of 11% damage reduction, which is just insane. [Recommended]

Terrifying Insight [4/5] – This is the second passive that I use late game. The bonus is pretty good when full points and since I play a hybrid Devoted Cleric this is great for a decent increase in damage output. It can also be decent for a heal build with certain powers, but this is more for a build specifically designed to deal damage. [Recommended]

Feats:

The feat progression is essentially a specialization of your build. Depending on what you are looking for there are a number of options available. Seeing as I was looking for a damage based Devoted Cleric, I decided the best path for me was the Virtuous path. Up to now the guide has been less specialized, but now that we are getting into feats I am focusing on the path that I have currently selected. (I created my character as a Half-Elf, thus I do not have the 3 additional feat points. If you do have them, I would use them towards Fortitude to increase your maximum HP by 9%)

Repurpose Soul [3/3] – When one of your spells has a critical effect the target of that spell disperses a small area of effect heal, healing you and your allies for 5/10/15% of the spell’s effect.

Bountiful Fortune [4/5] – Gain 3/6/9/12/15% more Divine Power.

Virtuous Feats –

Rising Hope [5/5] – When in Divine Mode, you have a chance to proc Rising Hope with Encounter powers, which grants you 15% more Recovery and Power for 30/60/90/120/150 seconds.

Power of the Sun [5/5] – Brand of the Sun reduces the targets damage output and their chance to critically strike by 1/2/3/4/5%.

Second Sight [5/5] – When Prophecy of Doom ends, it disperses 2/4/6/8/10% of the targets health to you and all allies near the target.

Nimbus of Light [5/5] – Daunting Light affects the target with Nimbus of Light, a rebuff that reduces the targets defines by 2/4/6/8/10%. Lasts 5 seconds.

Cycle of Change [1/1] – For every critical Heal, you gain 2% damage bonus on Encounters, that stacks up to 10%. Using Encounters expands this stack.

Faithful Feats –

Enduring Relief [5/5] – For 3 seconds after you heal a target from Divine Mode, that target gains 1/2/3/4/5% bonus Healing from you.

Benefit of Foresight [5/5] – Defense bonus from Foresight is increased by 1/2/3/4/5%.

Gear:

There are currently two potential gear builds that are “the best” for Devoted Cleric. I will start with the cheapest and the move on to the more expensive. (Both are very similar in effectiveness).

The cheaper of the two “best” gear setups currently for the Devoted Cleric is a combination of two of the available Tier 2 armor sets. This combination includes two pieces of the Grand Templar set combined with two pieces of the Beacon of Faith set. I would recommend the following:

Helmet – Grand Templar’s Helm

Armor – Grand Templar’s Armor

Arms – Beacon of Faith’s Gauntlets

Feet – Greaves of the Beacon of Faith

This seems to be the cheapest method when attempting to purchase the set from the Auction House. (May vary)

The other “best” gear set available is the Miracle Healer’s set. It is much more expensive to purchase however it does provide you with slightly better utility than the other set. (Please take note that for the degree of difference between the two, this set is incredibly overpriced).

Companion – Ioun Stone of Allure or Cat (Ioun Stone of Might is good because it includes an additional offensive slot, however it is a green so it has restrictions that the other two do not.)

These are of course the recommended final build items, until you are able to acquire these items, and variation of these or Player-vs-Player earned gear will suffice.

As far as enchantments go, I would not recommend putting anything under a Rank 6-7 inside of any of these gears, or the Miracle Healer’s set, due to the overall price of the pieces. In the Grand Templar and Beacon of Faith pieces however, Rank 5 would be fine as they are quite a lot cheaper to repurchase if need be.

Levelling:

Leveling can be done in a number of ways in Neverwinter. The best way to level is of course by just following the progressive quest line and taking any close quests through each of the different zones in the game. Questing is by far the best option for levelling in the current game. Other ways of gaining experience towards your levels in the game include: Player-vs-Player matches, Foundry quests, Skirmishes, Dungeon Delve runs, and by levelling your Leadership profession. (Note: You also gain a minimum amount of experience a day by using the Invocation method.)

*Note* When levelling, if you are interested in a full completion of the game, make sure you are doing all* skirmishes as soon as you hit the appropriate levels for them as you are currently not able to access any skirmish that you are no longer in the range of. If you miss a skirmish, you have no way of completing all achievements and getting all titles currently available in the game.

For levelling, you will want to have on-level gear as much as possible due to the large benefits that gear have on gameplay, especially early. This will make your quests easier, and the game progress much more quickly for you. If you are unable to find new gear, I would recommend purchasing new gear every 6-10 levels from other players or off the auction house so that you don’t fall to far behind and slow yourself down. I would also recommend keeping enchantments of ranks 3-4 in your gear before reaching level 60, and after level 60 I would aim for full rank 5 enchantments until you are able to afford better. Particularly in Tier 2/2.5 gear I would not recommend putting anything lower than a rank 6, preferably rank 7 enchantment as the costs to remove and replace enchantments are just too much combined with the costs of the gear.

As you are levelling, I would recommend focusing on one Profession specifically. If you are not specifically aiming for a certain goal, or you are playing on your first character. Make sure to level your Leadership profession exclusively. This is the best profession to focus early as it provides a small income, a small amount of astral diamonds as well as a small boost to your experience gain as you level. (Which will be useless once you hit level 60.)

COLORS: |||| NOTES |||| – |||||||| FOR YOU |||||||| – ||||||| FOR ALLIES |||||| – |||||| LINKS |||||| Important 1: English is not my native language. Important 2: This build is to Complete DG (from Kessell to MSPC) when DPS is weak and random. Important 3: T9G or CODG look for good DPS, you will be important as Buff (Try other Builds with […]

I would have given this a higher rating because I love it, but i have run into some major problems. First of you left off half of the encounter powers and what you thought of them and if you recommended it or not. One of which is rather important since you did recommend the feat that goes with it. that power would be Prophecy of Doom. the other Encounter powers not mentioned are Searing Light, Chains of Blazing Light, Break the Spirit and Divine Glow. The other Problem i have run into involves the feats. you state that the feats for the Virtuous line includes Power of the Son. It might have when you first made the build but from what I see is that that feat is actually in the Rightous tree. Could you please update this build and show pics of say the feats tree to make it much easier to understand? Thank you . And i do hope you are able to take the time to update this build.